


Pursuit

by sanctum_c



Series: Cloti Week 2018 [6]
Category: Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997)
Genre: F/M, Forests, Hiding, Near Nibelheim, Shinra Company, Sunsets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-21
Updated: 2018-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:21:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27182368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctum_c/pseuds/sanctum_c
Summary: A group of Shinra infantry pursue Cloud and Tifa into a forest.
Relationships: Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife
Series: Cloti Week 2018 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1554913
Kudos: 7





	Pursuit

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt 'Sunset/Summer’s Solstice'

Not much longer.

The sun was low on the horizon, the sky turning orange. Any other time, this would have been the perfect weather to admire the sunset. Tifa had no time; she and Cloud crouched in the undergrowth near the edge of a cluster of trees. Not far from Nibelheim. The thought of going back, of finding what remained still fazed Tifa every time she was unable to wrest her thoughts away from the subject. There was a chance not everyone had perished. The town razed but not destroyed, new buildings in place of those Sephiroth destroyed. But even in the best case scenario, there would be nothing for her or Cloud there. Father was dead and Cloud’s mother was unlikely to have survived the inferno that consumed his home. Hopefully someone had moved father’s body, given him a burial next to her mother.

Or perhaps that was the wrong way to look at it now – knowing all they did thanks to the visit to Cosmo Canyon. The grave that held her mother’s remains; the lifeless body she found as she chased Sephiroth up Mount Nibel- If she believed Bugenhagen, neither were her parents any longer. The spark that animated both had returned to the Planet and become part of the Lifestream. There was some comfort there, the chance to be reborn in some capacity, to pass from life to death and return. But at the cost of their memories.

Helpful for the loss of her family and friends; less comforting for the here and now. She could not fall yet. Not when there were so many questions, so much she still wanted to do. Tifa held her breath and listened. Faint whisper of Cloud’s breathing, the forest around them shifting this way and that in the faint stirrings of the wind- The distant rumble of a motor? Tifa strained, leaning forward. The wind shifted, blowing past her and flicking her hair around her ears. She brushed it back as quickly as possible.

Something. Maybe a shout. “They’re here,” Cloud said, staring towards the rise blocking them from the rest of the valley. Tifa’s heart skipped a beat.

“How far?”

Cloud jerked his head around. “A mile or two. Close.”

Too close. Staying low, Tifa picked her way through the undergrowth and deeper into the forest. No sound of larger predators in here – the last thing they needed now; getting caught up in a skirmish with the local fauna. Cloud trailed after her, the gloom deepening as the sun continued to sink and the canopy became thicker. Despite the need to put as much distance from their previous position as they could, Tifa was unable to resist the impulse to look back. Nothing in sight. No sounds of motors or marching feet over the soft rustle of the undergrowth against their legs. Thankfully it was not too dry; the number of dry sticks underfoot should be minimal – little risk of giving their position away.

Another look back. Nothing. How much further? There was always the chance- A Shinra truck heaved into view, unsteady on the terrain. A small squad of infantry arrived. The company halted; behind them the sun slid towards the horizon. Tifa stopped and ducked deeper into the vegetation; Cloud likewise stilled beside her. Hard to dare breath; there was a good distance between them and the troops, but her frantic, shallow gasps seemed to roar like an enraged Behemoth.

What was taking so long? How did they keep tracking them? The unexpected run-in with the a division of the Shinra infantry earlier had lead to Avalanched scattering into small groups. Who was and wasn’t together was not clear. They had a standing arrangement to restrict PHS use except in emergencies; no one was sure if Shinra had the capacity to intercept the calls. Once they were away from the troops, they would try and round everyone back up – but to do so required them surviving the present. Tifa and Cloud had fled together, dogged by seemingly the same division of troops no matter how far they ran. Were they the sole target or was it only one of a number pursuing each subdivision of the group?

Impossible to say. Darkness should help them move with less chance of detection, but would introduce new obstacles as they tried to navigate by pitiful natural light. The lights on the van burst into life, two glaring points of light in the woods. Tifa ducked lower, ruining her eyesight by staring back towards the source, watching for the silhouette of a trooper approaching. “We might need to run.”

“Or we can ambush them when they get close.”

“Risky. We’ll end up surrounded.” Cloud nodded and Tifa tensed. Ahead the motor increased in volume and abruptly the lights swung away. The movement caught troopers hurrying past the van and away from the woods. All sign of Shinra was gone. Tifa retained her shallow breathing and counted a minute in her head. Nothing. Another minute. Still a chance the Turks would step out of the shadows, all of this some absurd orchestrated trap. Nothing.

“I think we lucked out.” Tifa let out a laugh; Cloud’s grin was barely visible in the gloom, but it was there. Tifa let the tension go from her legs and flopped onto the ground.

“We should get going.” Cloud fidgeted.

“A minute. Too tense.” Tifa rolled onto her back and stared up at the canopy. Cloud copied her. They needed to get moving, needed to find the others. But for now, after sunset – her and Cloud alone – was a comfort she could not help but indulge now the danger was past.


End file.
